The field of art to which the invention relates comprises method and apparatus for forming a surface hand grip on poured aggregate coping cantilevered about a swimming pool.
1. Field of the Invention
A continuous nose or lip raised along the peripheral edge of coping cantilevered about a swimming pool is considered desirable as affording a reachable handgrip for swimmers particularly children. Such a configuration has long been available using precast coping.
For economic reasons, however, it has been preferred by many that pool decking including the coping be formed on site by the pouring of aggregate such as concrete. However, the use of poured aggregate heretofore has precluded the raised lip or projected nose being formed therewith along the peripheral edge of the coping. The inability to provide such a lip or nose has generally been attributed to the practice of the cement-placing crews rodding the top of the concrete form with their strike off rods when finishing concrete around the swimming pool. As a result, many states have forbidden poured cantilevered decking on public pools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cantilevered coping is commonly provided about the inside perimeter of a swimming pool and is typically constructed of either processed concrete slabs or of an aggregate poured on site. When poured, a form board is utilized to profile the coping as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,195. Unlike the precast coping slabs, forming the coping by pouring of aggregate has precluded forming an extension such as a raised horizontally placed lip or a vertically placed nose extending the entire peripheral edge of the coping that swimmers can grip or cling to from within the water. Such coping therefore is considered desirable as a saftey feature and is frequently a code requirement for public pools frequented by children. On the other hand, the poured aggregate coping is considered more economical yet perfectly safe for many installations where use of a raised coping lip or nose is deemed unnecessary and/or not required by law.
yet despite recognition of the foregoing, it has not been known heretofore how to form such a raised nose, lip or combination thereof along the coping edge where the coping is constructed of poured aggregate.